Caithness mum told no refund as 'daughter had not yet injured herself'
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A MUM from Castletown was turned away by Argos after the store said it couldn't give a refund for the dangerous toy she tried to return as it had "not injured her daughter".
Carer and violin teacher Elizabeth Jones (39) had purchased the LOL Surprise 2-in-1 Glamper Van toy for her eight-year-old daughter Olivia as a Christmas present.
However, just before New Year, the maker of the toy, MGA Entertainment, urged those who had bought one to get in touch following several complaints from parents over injuries to their children.
Reports filtered their way back to the manufacturer of children getting their fingers stuck in a hole at the bottom of the van, cutting off blood flow, and in some cases the toy had to be sawn in half to set the child free.
Elizabeth was worried about her daughter continuing to play with the toy and took the £100 purchase back to the Argos store in Wick to seek a refund.
She said: "I started to hear reports in the media about the injuries being suffered by children from this toy and was concerned enough to return it rather than wait for something to happen to Olivia.
"While my obvious concern was for Olivia's safety, I also have a three-year-old son who could quite easily injure himself as well.The store was still selling the toy when I went back and they are still selling it today.
"When I got there, I spoke to three different members of staff and was told I would not be getting a refund as my daughter had not yet been injured.
"That conveyed the impression that I was to come back when an injury happened.
"I had to return home with the toy. I contacted the company that makes the glamper vans and they responded very quickly.
"They confirmed that the toy I had bought was one of the models that had a safety issue and agreed to exchange it for an updated model."
Elizabeth said that the store manager from Argos contacted her about the incident some time after.
She added: "The store manager got back to me and told me that, had he had been in the store that day, he would have handled things differently and that it would have been likely that a refund would have been issued."
A spokesperson for Argos said: "MGA is advising customers to contact them with any concerns they may have about its LOL Surprise toys.
"We're sorry to hear this was not explained to the customer and their experience did not reflect the high standard of service we set ourselves."
Isaac Larian, CEO and founder of MGA Entertainment, said: "I am extremely upset to hear about our fans' negative experience with the LOL Glamper.
"Safety is a top priority when we develop our products, which must pass third-party toy testing and all applicable safety requirements before they're shipped to retailers.
"I take any concerns where injury is involved very seriously. There is a caution sticker on the glamper, and although the product was fully compliant as originally sold, in an abundance of care we have now redesigned the button mechanism to prevent any possibility of finger capture.
"If any of our fans have concerns regarding their purchased glamper, please contact our customer services team immediately at support@mgae.biz or call 01702 208177."
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